All Entries in the "NL East" Category
Remembering Gary Carter who passed away today at the young age of 57
May he rest in Peace… Gary Carter delivered a walk-off homer in his first-ever regular-season game for the Mets. The Kid also started the Mets’ historic rally in the 10th inning of Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Red Sox with a two-out single. But Carter, who passed away at the [...]
Top ten reasons a Mets fan should be scared of the projected opening day roster
Listening to the most recent comments Sandy Alderson made to the New York Post, it has become more likely that he has little to no interest in adding any more players before spring training. Very few fans expected this team to do much this offseason, but it is impossible for a team who needed so [...]
Should Mets Bother to Make an Offer to Damon and Ibanez?
With the lack of interest the New York Mets have in upgrading their team this offseason, the media and those who blog tend to overanalyze every move they make as well as every player the team is rumored to have interest in. If this was a prior- more active- offseason, most of the discussions Mets [...]
If The Mets Number 8 is NOT Being Issued, Retire It!
We should all say a prayer today for Gary Carter, who is fighting a terrible battle with cancerous tumors reemerging in his brain. First and foremost, hopes are that the kid can fight this terrible disease. After that point is made, there has been a lot of talk amongst Mets fans about whether or not [...]
Are the Mets Considering the Post 2012 Free Agent Market?
A lot is still to be determined with all the free agents still on the board. With players like Prince Fielder, Francisco Cordero, Edwin Jackson, Roy Oswalt, Johnny Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, and Raul Ibanez still available this late in the offseason, rosters could look quite different going into the 2012 season. One team that is [...]
How Fernando Martinez is a Fit in San Diego
The New York Mets finally gave up on a prospect that never materialized. Yesterday, they waived Fernando Martinez (maybe somebody can tell me why he and Daniel Herrera were classified as waived when every other 40 man roster move says the player has been designated for assignment) who has an arthritic knee condition that is [...]
What’s Left for Mets to Sign to Minor League Contracts? Is It Even Worth It?
Has there ever been a more uninspiring offseason than the Mets this winter? Sure, you can point to the fact that the owners are broke. You can say it’s part of the rebuilding process. Both valid points, but fans are still faced with the daunting task of having to root for a team that will [...]
Jimmy Rollins Signs 3 yr $33 Million Contract With Philly
News of the Rollins signing has had negative comments rising up in Philly Phans, who wished to see a faltering SS who had a horrible playoff and has a history of lackluster effort in jogging to first, go to another team for a cheaper option. However, Rollins has had positive contributions to this team [...]
The Party Is In Miami
Looks like Will Smith had it right all along when he wrote the hit song some time ago “Welcome to Miami”. The Miami Marlins have made the biggest splashes of the offseason thus far by inking Jose Reyes and Mark Buehrle to long term deals. Reyes’ deal is a backloaded contract to ease the transition [...]
Fish make a big splash…in a shallow pool
It makes some sort of ironic sense that the biggest splash of baseball’s offseason signing season so far is made by the Fish. The newly crowned Miami Marlins made a big move in reshaping the image of their franchise by stepping up to the plate and landing shortstop Jose Reyes on Sunday night. The Marlins [...]
Mets’ Decision to Keep Reyes Backfires
Just before the trade deadline, Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson faced a dilemma; Trade his shortstop, best player, and the face of the franchise, for prospects that could help the team in the future, or hold on to him and receive draft pick compensation if Reyes were to go elsewhere in Free Agency. Alderson decided Reyes [...]
Partial Papelbon Press Conference in Philly
Former Red Sox Closer (since 2005 with 219 saves, most by any Boston pitcher) recently signed a 4 year (with a vesting option on a 6th) deal with the Phillies for $50M… Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Hamels Pitched A Remarkable Game, In Case Anyone Noticed
With Cole Hamels on the mound Tuesday night, I bet you couldn’t keep your eyes off the little blue batter’s box on TBS with a teeny pitch count above it. We watched Hamels’ pitch count climb higher and higher, while Garcia finished his innings quicker than a trip to the bathroom. By the third [...]
Remember Michael Stutes?
When did Michael Stutes all of a sudden become Adam Eaton? Michael Stutes had one bad month in August and all of a sudden everyone is ready to toss him aside like yesterday’s sports page. This weekend I heard two reporters (David Murphy and some other guy) agree that essentially Stutes is no [...]
Analyzing Phillies in the Playoffs
It’s playoff time, and if the past is any indication the Phillies are ready. Since 2007 (we can forget getting swept in 2007, right?), the Phillies are 25-13 in the postseason, have reached the NLCS in three straight seasons, and have only lost two series in three years. We can learn much more about the [...]
The Importance of Kendrick and Worley to the Phillies
The Phillies clinched the division with 12 games left and should still (we hope) have the most wins ever for the franchise. Now imagine where they would be without Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley. Kendrick and Worley’s contributions to this Phillies team aren’t just nice stories; they changed the entire complexion of the [...]
Who can Phillies least afford to lose: Rollins, Utley, or Howard?
The injury bug has infected practically anything wearing a Phillies uniform this season. Rollins is the 11th player to join a DL club that includes 5 position players, 3 starters, and 3 relievers. Heck, even the Phanatic got knocked on his keester this year. With the best record in baseball and a nice little cushion [...]
Vance Worley Shows Us Scouts Can’t Predict Everything
As Vance Worley dominates the Mets on an otherwise quiet Thursday night, one cannot help but look at his stats in amazement: 8-1, 2.33 ERA, 74 K, 31 BB, and a 1.139 WHIP. In fact, as I type this he has just struck out his 9th Met on the night, in only the 7th inning. True, [...]
The Marlins & The Future
With 72 losses already, their ace out for the season (Josh Johnson=Gimpy?), and their best hitter taking it easy (Hanley Ramirez Exposed!!, more on that next time), the Marlins have nothing to lose. But we can all see that Ole Man McKeon is playing every game like it’s his last (which each game very well [...]
Looking Ahead to the 2012 Mets
After some encouraging moments, the 2011 season is essentially over for the Mets. Actually, it’s been over for a while. So it’s not too soon to talk about 2012, since General Manager Sandy Alderson is building for next year and beyond. Here is how next year’s starting lineup shapes up: JOSH THOLE (C): [...]
Dear Ruben, Just Say No to Carlos
Attention Ruben Amaro and anyone of the Phillies top brass: DO NOT BRING CARLOS BELTRAN TO THE PHILLIES I beg you, please don’t bring Carlos Beltran to the Phillies Trading for Carlos Beltran would be an awful idea for the Phillies. Would adding him to the roster help the Phillies this year? Probably. Is he [...]
A Mets Fan’s View of the K-Rod Trade
The Mets’ trade of Francisco Rodriquez to the Brewers was a good one because it gives them a much better chance of signing Jose Reyes in the offseason. The Mets dumped their closer to Milwaukee for players to be named later. In doing so, they don’t have to worry about the financial repercussions of [...]
The Brewers High-StaKes Gamble
With their recent acquisition of Francisco Rodriguez, the Milwaukee Brewers further solidify their bullpen and continue to push all their chips onto the table for a 2011 playoff berth. The Brewers bullpen to date has offered them a steady 1.4 WAR according to Fangraphs, which is in the middle of the pack in MLB. K-Rod, [...]
The 2011 All-Star Futures Game
On Tuesday night, the 2011 All Star game will take place. Of course, it’s supposed to be a battle of the biggest stars of the sport, and for the most part, it is. I’ll leave my reservations about the voting process for another day. MLB has done a great job advertising the Home Run Derby, [...]
Dodgers Fans Show No Love For Their Team
I’m finally back from my trip to Los Angeles for a Muscular Dystrophy study. Sorry for the lag in articles, but no laptop and no home = no articles. But all was not lost, my friends. My trip to sunny California gave me a chance to compare Phillies fans and Dodgers fans. I [...]
Mets’ Pitching Looks Bright
Many have said that the immediate future of the Mets appears bleak. While the team has many critical decisions to make this summer, the future is not as dark as it seems to be. The reason for such optimism? The starting pitching, the most critical part of any any major league team, has given Mets [...]
The 2011 Mets Have Contracted the Injury Bug; Quick, Call an Exterminator!
At some point this summer, if the Mets ever get everyone on the field, they would actually field a pretty formidable team. A lineup of Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Ike Davis, Jason Bay, Josh Thole and Justin Turner, with Daniel Murphy in reserve, would excite many Mets [...]
Harper Changes Hagerstown on His Way to Washington
Superstars change everything, no matter where they go. This is true in business, personal life and, of course, sports and is on display, at least for the time being, in Hagerstown, MD. Hagerstown is the home of the Hagerstown Suns, the Class A Affiliate of the Washington Nationals and is home to [...]
2011 Fantasy Baseball Projections: What’s Wrong With Florida Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez?
The consensus No. 2 pick before the season started, Hanley Ramirez has done little to justify his draft position. Through 181 at-bats this season, Ramirez is flirting with the Mendoza Line (.210) and sports a Jason Bartlett-like OPS (.618). To make matters worse, Ramirez was removed from Sunday’s game after the first inning with lower back stiffness. He [...]
Mets Not Giving Up Just Yet
The Mets lost two out of three to the Yankees in the Subway Series, but it wasn’t a complete lost weekend for Terry Collins’ club. True, the Mets were nine outs from taking the series from the Bombers, and several breaks didn’t go the Mets way during the disastrous 8-run seventh inning. But on Friday [...]
<--under the tag-->